Earmarks and Switched Votes-Any Connection?

The below article raises the question of whether Democratic lawmakers who switched their votes to support the health care bill are being rewarded with new earmarks for the 2011 budget.


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/29/pro-life-democrats-switched-vote-health-request-billions-earmarks/

Of course, earmarks are a long-standing problem, and it will take more analysis to determine if these 11 Democratic lawmakers are getting extra earmarks because of switching their votes. Of course, it may just be that the only reward they got from switching was that executive order signed by Obama (wink wink, nod nod).

The article points out that most of the eleven concerned lawmakers are requesting more in the 2011 bill than they did for the previous year. Coincidence?


In that same vein, it may be that Bart (Caveman) Stupak's announcement that he is retiring from Congress has absolutely nothing to do with his own highly-publicized cave-in.

"Earmarks? Retirement? Health care votes? I don't see any connections, by Jove."